There were cards in the times of the civil war that were flagged with rich color, patriotic and political motifs. There were ones that showed lovers, their heroes and generals, skits and comical.

There were cards also not in the best of tastes that some men would send to former loves or people they wanted to get back at for some reason or another. These cards were sent to cause discomfort and might say things such as "boss-eyed" or other similar phrases.

There were many Valentines that were especially lithographed and hand-colored, beautiful in there design and that had a distinction of there own. Many cards were imported from overseas due to the paper being of poor quality and not suitable for embossing.

There were many cards that were produced with intricate lace paper, decorated with ornaments such as beads, sea shells, cones, berries, and all different kinds of seeds. Some may even have seaweed or moss with dried flowers or artificial flowers which was all attached to a string so as it could be hung creating a three dimensional picture.